Makers Outside: Knitwear Designer Lacey Williamson
Learn how Lacey creates nature-inspired knitwear perfect for mountain living
Lacey Williamson is a knitter and knitwear designer who makes stunning nature-inspired garments.
Lacey and I have been talking for the past few months while I test-knit her Sunrise Summit Crop sweater. I’ve been eager to feature Lacey in this newsletter since discovering her patterns. Lacey is a well-rounded outdoorswoman who fishes, hunts, and genuinely loves spending time outdoors. And her patterns reflect this — Lacey’s designs are flattering and functional so you can wear her garments on all of your adventures.
This week I’m excited to feature Lacey’s awesome work and learn more about her journey as a knitwear designer.
The Full Spotlight: An Interview with Lacey Williamson
Q: Tell me about your knitting. What is your niche and what makes your designs so unique?
A: I knit and I design knitwear. Most of my knits this year have been garments and I’m focusing on intentional clothing. I've been creating pieces that I truly want to wear and will last a long time.
Knitting is an investment both monetarily and through time-spend so I've also become more intentional with the yarn I purchase and the things I spend my time on to make.
Q: How long have you been designing knitwear and how did you get started?
A: I've officially been designing for about a year but I've been making up patterns and doing lots of modifications since I started knitting — over 10 years ago.
It seemed like I was always making changes to patterns anyway so I figured I'd just start designing them exactly how I wanted and to fit my taste and needs. It’s rewarding but challenging: the hardest part is keeping notes that I can decipher later!
Q: What are your outdoor passions and favorite activities?
A: Most of my time outdoors is spent fly fishing, hunting, and maintaining habitat for wildlife. I just love taking in all that nature has to offer. I have trouble hiking if there's a stream nearby because I just want to stop and look for fish the whole time or try to identify the flowers along the trail.
Wearing my own garments outside makes the experience even more special. When I’m out on the stream or in the hunting stand staying warm in my own handknits it just gives me so much pride!
Q: How does nature and the outdoors influence your art?
A: I often wear my knits when I'm outdoors and a lot of my designs are thought up while I'm sitting out in the woods. If it's not too cold, I'll even knit when I'm in the stand or waiting for a hatch to start on the river.
My outdoor passions also influence my designs because I need them to perform — I definitely favor function over fashion and am always reaching for sturdy, basic knits instead of pretty, delicate patterns.
Q: Is there any specific time that you've felt particularly inspired by nature for your craft? Where were you when that happened?
A: The Sunrise Summit Crop pattern was thought up, sketched out, and designed all while I was sitting in the stand last spring. With so much animal activity in spring it's hard not to be inspired.
That morning was just perfect though: all the migratory birds were back and singing, a box turtle was burying her eggs at the base of the tree, and there were so many wildflowers covering the forest floor.
Q: How does your knitting and designing help you in other areas of your life?
A: Knitting and especially designing has helped me become more confident. Wearing clothing that you thought up and designed from scratch then crafted with the skills you’ve been developing is extremely rewarding.
It has also helped me to come to terms that not everything I make has to be amazing or even good. Sometimes designs don't turn out how you wanted, and that’s okay! You've learned a lot and you can try again. That’s just the nature of crafting and artisan skills.
Q: What do you want to do next?
A: My goal for the rest of the year is mainly to experiment. I’d love to try all over stitch patterns and play around with different constructions. But I’m open-minded about the whole venture — I'm trying to be more open with my goals so I can adjust them based on where I am in life at that time. On a side note, embroidery would be really fun to spend some more time on this winter!
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That's awesome. I can relate to being confident when I'm doing my DIY project. I feel like it does help me as well in that way.
Terrific article! I love hearing about knitwear designers that design with function in mind. So glad you wrote this interview up!